Entries organized under Productivity tips

One of the things I love about being self-employed is that I get to make all the decisions. One of the things I don’t love about being self-employed is the same thing. Some days, by 4pm, the idea of choosing dinner – making one more decision – feels like too much. (For this, meal planning ahead of time works well for me. Paprika is one of my favourite phone apps.)

As business owners, we need to decide what to offer, what to charge, how to get the word out, with whom we’ll collaborate, which experts to follow, which experts to stop following, which skills need nurturing, what we’re already doing well enough… whether we are doing the right things. In the online realm, we are inundated with information and recommendations. Sometimes two different roads are equally appealing and there’s only you to choose between them. It’s a lot of responsibility. And filtering the data – both concrete and intuitive – requires considerable energy. Decision-making is taxing, even for the decisive. Especially when people are relying on us.

For the last two years, I’ve been sitting with what feels to me like a big question. I rely heavily on my intuition and, with this particular question, I wasn’t getting a clear answer. I needed help interpreting the information I was getting… and I needed other ways of accessing the information than what I’ve always done. So I reached out to friends for advice, asking “How do you make decisions when both choices are right?” and now, combined with my own, I have a list of different ways to approach decision-making, which I like so much, I want to share it with you, fellow big decision-makers.

Carrie

30 ways to make a decision when you’re not sure what to do

1. Free-write in a journal exploring the question and possible answers without judging what comes out. Write until there’s nothing left to write.
2. Flip a coin. (If you’re happy with the result, stick with it. If you’re not, you have your answer.)
3. Draw a mandala. Here’s how. (That one’s from my creative stylist-friend Wendy.)
4. Consult a trusted intuitive. Laurie Anne Kingis mine and has been a guide for 15 years now. Carmen Spagnola comes so very highly recommended too.
5. Give it (more) time and wait for clarity.
6. Spend a day pretending/living as though you’ve made the decision. (Then do the same with the other choice.) What sorts of things would you do and not do? How do you feel in this life? (This is an exercise I learned from Randi Buckley that I use A LOT. It came up in her Maybe Baby program that I cannot recommend more highly.)
7. Have a Tarot reading. I’ve worked with the lovely Elle North. I’ve heard great things about Theresa Reed, too.
8. Close your eyes. Put each choice in a corner of the room, then imagine yourself sitting in each. Where do you feel comfortable/warm/expansive/happy? Where do you feel restricted/constrained/cold? The feelings may be subtle but usually you’ll be able to read a difference. (This is an exercise I recommend as a small part of the pricing work in The Pink Elephant School of Kind Business program.)
9. Pray. Whatever that looks like for you.
10. Walk a labyrinth.
11. Move your body in a way that disrupts your thinking. A hard run, a long walk, yoga… Dance for six fast songs in a row.
12. Stand near a moving body of water. The negative ions help.
13. Call your mom.
14. Have a session of equine therapy. (Jennifer Schramm’s Breakthrough Intensive was how I finally got my own big answer, plus more, this week – it’s seriously worth flying in for, if you’re not near Toronto.)
15. My genius friend Sarah Selecky, the mind behind The Daily Prompts, gave me this question, “If you were a creature with no language, what direction would smell the tastiest?” I love that.
16. Imagine yourself three years from now looking back. Which decision looks better from that vantage point? How about from ten years on? Or – let’s get dramatic – from your deathbed?
17. Follow NASA on Instagram and contemplate the galaxy. It can put a decision in perspective. And the images – WOW. (That’s another from Sarah.)
18. Take one drop of jack-in-the-pulpit flower essence in a little water and then give yourself some quiet time indoors or – even better – in nature.
19. Meditate.
20. If your questions are business-related, you could schedule Gentle Business Advice with me.
21. Ask an elder.
22. Place your hand on your heart and just feel what you are feeling. Usually an answer is on the other side.
23. Write out a conversation between you and your indecision. Ask it questions, write down its answers.
24. Surrender the idea that there is a “right” choice. Just choose and see where it leads. And if it doesn’t lead where you feel called, just choose again then. (This is inspired by my friend, Jennifer.)
25. Book a [Spotlight Session with Tanya Geisler](http://www.tanyageisler.com/spotlight-session/). That lady’s mind is lightning.
26. Use a pendulum and ask it yes or no questions. (I have a rose quartz one on a silver chain that is really pretty.)
27. Collect more data for each of the choices. Google. Go the library. Dip your toe in each option.
28. Open a book to a random page (usually inspiring books are best but any will work) and find the message for you there.
29. Pull an oracle card from a deck you like.
30. Assemble a small personal council of trusted advisors who know what you value and who you are and who wish you highest good, and ask them. (Or ask them how they make decisions, and you might get your own excellent list.)

If you found this list helpful, I think you’ll appreciate my semi-regular newsletter (and subscriber-only special offer codes)…

Two weeks ago, in one of my neighbourhood Facebook forums, I saw a post about a health clinic with a reflexologist on staff that had just opened around the corner from me. I’d been looking for a new reflexologist since we moved to this part of town three years ago so I was excited. I found their website and — joy! — they have online booking. (They use Cliniko, a web-based booking service I hadn’t seen before. Maybe worth checking out if you’re in a similar business?)

The calendar showed one opening for the week and it was at 11am, the next morning. My first reaction was delight — I wouldn’t have to wait. And then my next reaction was something different.

I considered my to-do list for the next day. I had time to fit in the treatment, but I wanted the opening to be in the evening instead of the morning so that it could be my reward. So that I could feel like I’d earned it.

I am a master of delayed gratification.

A lot of the time, I think it’s a good way to be.

But as the happiness drained from me, I paused just long enough to reconsider my position. And, you know what? Rest isn’t a reward. Rest is a necessity. (When did I forget that?)

If I waited until I was finished my work to “deserve” rest, I would never deserve it.

In a strange paradox, for those of us who provide services, our businesses are separate entities and they are us. I am my business like you are your business. We’re never apart. And for creative people like us, there is always an idea to pursue, always a running stream of What I Could Do Next. And, honestly, part of me loves that. I love the ideas that come in the shower and while I’m brushing my teeth. I love that I always have a mental list of ideas to dive into. I like making things.

But it means, as I’ve set it up for myself, that there is no end to it. There is no Flinstones bell ringing at 5pm. There’s no Human Resources manager telling me I have vacation time I must use up or I’ll lose it.

In the second year of my business, I had a moment of clarity around this same lesson when I realized that I didn’t actually have to work weekends. I could decide that the “office” was closed from Friday night to Monday morning. It’s so obvious, but, for me, it was revolutionary.

The reflexology appointment’s been another revolution. I need to write it for myself again:

Rest isn’t a reward.

So, I booked the morning appointment and, as you’d probably expect, it made me more productive that afternoon.

Oh, of course there was. As soon as I think I have something figured out, I find a way to create the situations that will show me all the ways I totally don’t.

My dear friend Wendy (she’s also my favourite stylist) is the kind of friend every woman needs at least one of. Among other things, she is a creative plan initiator and not just an initiator, but she makes good things happen. After one of those you-know-what-we-should-do-one-day conversations, she found a Scandinavian spa and booked a two-night escape for four of us. (I actually launched my program, The Pink Elephant School of Kind Business, while I was in the woods of Quebec because technology is magic and because the incomparable Nita agreed to woman the desk for us alone and because I decided a few launches ago to stop worrying about launches.)

I’m a gal who is cold year-round except for the height of summer here in Toronto, so the first place I headed was the sauna.

I settled my back into the cedar bench and readied myself for relaxation.

My mind rushed. My nervous system buzzed.

After the sauna, I went to the next station, a cold pool, and after the cold pool, you’re to relax for twenty minutes. So, I went to the relaxation chalet, and thought about … everything.

My mind rushed. My nervous system buzzed.

Two more cycles of this and I began to feel some of the tension in my body releasing. Some of it. (My husband teases me that I spend a lot of time with my shoulders up at my ears. I really do lose myself — including the proper shape of my spine — happily writing at my desk.) The tension in my mind, though, it had a stronghold. And it’s not that I was worrying or problem-solving (although, yes, I was doing those things too) so much as I just couldn’t feel peaceful. Have I been resting long enough? I want to be doing the next relaxing thing to really make this relaxing happen.

It was in one of these “resting” cycles that I got the other half of the Rest Lesson: I’ve actually forgotten how to really rest.

I didn’t know a person could do that. I’m good about booking a massage when my shoulder blades knit themselves together. I’m good about asking my husband to handle the toddler bedtime routine when I’m feeling spent. I’m good about meditating before a project and praying at the end of the day.

I do a lot of things that have the appearance of relaxation/renewal/rest. I’m very pro-rest, philosophically speaking. But I rarely surrender to Actual Rest.

Oh.

A-ha.

Some people run on coffee all day. I think I’ve had a tendency to run on low-grade anxiety that masquerades as creative energy. Or maybe it is creative energy? Whatever it is, it isn’t restful.

I wonder if you have a little of this affliction too? And if you do, and you would like permission to rest (and, if you’re like me, permission to practice resting so you can get good at it again), then please let this be that. As self-employed people, there are so many permissions we have to remember to grant ourselves. It’s okay to need a blog post to give you (and me) a friendly reminder nudge.

You are permitted to rest.

Rest is a requirement. I want you to have plenty of it. Almost more than you can handle. Because it’s the healers and helpers and creative spirits who have the most to offer when they’re replenished and I want more of what you’ve got to give.

The photo at the top of this post is taken from Nordik, the most wonderful spa I’d ever experienced. If you are ever near Ottawa, I so recommend a visit.

During the pricing module of The Pink Elephant School of Kind Business™, there are often questions about how to budget for new expenses. What does a bookkeeper cost? Or a virtual assistant? Or website hosting? Since I just completed a tabulation of Pink Elephant’s business expenses for 2014, I can share what *I* spend on some of these things. It might be helpful?

*I took some amazing online courses last year but seeing that number all in one lump sum made me realize that I could and should spend at least half of it on self-care instead of self-development, this year. Alfred, my dear massage therapist, here I come!

If you’re feeling called to get the math side of your business in order (with as little math as possible), you might be interested in a short and sweet course of study over at the Pink Elephant School of Kind Business.

Every season there are more and more “how to make money doing what you love” programs with really compelling sales pages. And while I’ve written before on the subject of what icks me out about The Glorification of More, what I want to talk about here is how hard it is to assess our own business needs and our own abilities in the face of so many confidently-presented program offers.

The sales page script is something like this: I used to have the same problem you have but then I solved it and you can too if you do as I do. Click here to buy.

When we read a powerful sales page, sometimes it’s hard to hear our own voices.

I know I sometimes think “Oh, maybe I need THAT?” when, before hearing about a certain program, I’d been pretty sure I needed something else. Or – ha! – that I hadn’t needed anything.

Because I don’t know enough about the solution, I have to trust that if the “problem” the expert describes having solved sounds a lot like mine, then her solution will work for me. It seems like reasonable logic. And in the absence of other information, it’s really all I have to work with.

But a sales page can’t know what we know (and sometimes, we’re not sure we can either).

What that expert needed to learn (and then teach) may not be what you need to learn or what I need to learn. I wish sales pages wouldn’t presume to know what we need to learn, or speak with such authority on the subject, but I don’t think it’s malevolence – more a case of everything looking like a nail when you’re a hammer.

So what to do about this? Well, I’ve been studying self-employment for several years and have had the privilege of seeing behind the scenes of small businesses that are successful and those that are struggling and, from my vantage point, clear patterns have emerged.

I’ve also identified an order to these skills. Each lays a more solid foundation for the one that follows. (In my case, I had a good handle on clear communication and client empathy but because I was weak in understanding sustainable pricing, I struggled.)

1. Client empathy

Successful small business owners know their clients and feel their clients. Because their understanding is empathetic, they offer the specific services that are needed and communicate them in a way that makes their marketing compassionate (and compelling).

2. A solid understanding of sustainable pricing methods

Successful small business owners know how to price their offerings. They use basic math, taking much of the emotion right out of it.

3. Clear communication

Successful small business owners know how to explain what they do clearly, genuinely, and originally so that people understand, remember, and tell others. It’s not about scripts; it’s about clarity and, ultimately, kindness.

(The website writing workbooks in the Pink Elephant Academy Bookstore are designed for exactly this purpose, and How to Write a Lovable Homepage is our best-seller.)

4. Website savvy

Successful small business owners don’t necessarily know how to code their own websites from scratch (although that’s a handy skill if you’ve got the time and interest) but they do know how to do (or delegate) basic maintenance and how to organize the content of their site. The experience and design of their websites reflect the spirit and heart of their businesses. Their websites do a lot of the work for them (and sometimes, all of the work).

5. Community building

There are a lot of sales programs that can teach you “techniques” for closing deals but I find it feels much better and is far more sustainable to be surrounded by people who like and support you. Successful small business owners may or may not have big communities, but the people who like/follow/read them want to be there and are enthusiastic. There are a few different means of reaching out and building community: email marketing, blogging, social media, and public relations are four key ones. Get good at just one (and then layer in another when you’re interested in trying something new).

6. A healthy relationship with money

So many of us have ideas about money that don’t serve us well. We believe people in helping professions shouldn’t make much or that to focus on money is “bad” or “greedy” or we feel unworthy so we over- or under-spend. We can be afraid of financial success and we can be afraid of poverty and sometimes we don’t even know what mental scripts are running that are taking up valuable real estate in our beautiful minds. Successful small business owners recognize and ignore their own scripts, knowing that having a healthy relationship with money is the only way to open ourselves to receiving it and being conscious stewards of it.

7. Productivity

Successful small business owners have systems and/or support people in place so that they can be primarily focused on doing their great work in the world. They know how to optimize their personal rhythms and schedules to create a lot.

8. Personal Resource Management

Successful small business owners know it’s not selfish to take care of themselves – it’s good business sense, and they make it a priority. Their well must be full in order to be of service to their clients, their colleagues, and their families and communities.

Do you know your own strengths?

I think if we know what specific skills are essential (and you’ve read this post so now you do), what our own business strengths and opportunities for growth are, and what trusted programs and experts support the development of each (that suit business owners like us), then we won’t feel so susceptible to the “authority” or allure of a sales page. And we’ll support real experts who are doing good work – not just money-making work.

Sometimes, it’s hard to know objectively what we’re doing well in business when our revenue or client numbers are telling us that something is wrong. Sometimes, it feels like we need every business coaching or marketing program out there – and we don’t.

I’ve developed a neat, little online self-assessment tool I’m super proud of. It takes about five minutes and will tell you how you’re scoring in each of the eight business skill areas listed above. After you’ve got your scores and can see where you’re strong and where the opportunities for development are, I also have a list of experts and programs recommended by the Pink Elephant Community, other small business owners like you and me, so you can choose experts to follow or programs to take based on information and reliable recommendations (no affiliates here!). I hope you find it very helpful.

It’s that time of the year (in my hemisphere) when a lot of small businesses start to slow. If you’re judging by what some post on Facebook, you might feel like the only entrepreneur who isn’t thriving – but, I promise, you’re not alone. A lot of us experience a decline in income right about now.

Clients go on holidays. Projects get postponed. Invoices sometimes take longer to get paid. It’s part of the flow. Earlier in my business, this would be a great time for me to panic. “What was I thinking when I thought I could support myself as a self-employed person!?” Now that I have a few slumps under my belt, I know that the slowing is temporary. And I can even welcome it as an invitation to do three things:

1. Enjoy it. There are times when life is so busy, and those times will come again. This is an opportunity to toil in the garden, go for long walks in the evening, head to the beach or cottage. Close the office on Fridays or Mondays (or even both!). Savour the slowing. Bless it.

2. Create. That e-book you’ve been meaning to write? That course you’ve been planning to design? Pour yourself some lemonade, take the laptop out to the dock or shady porch, and just do it. Let the unhurried pace of summer be your guide here. Create slowly, with pleasure. But schedule your project creation so you’re sure to complete in time for a glorious autumn launch.

3. Nurture your business. When you’re not busy with the demands of clients and customers, it can be easy to dip into fear. Use this opening constructively, instead. Give your Facebook page or newsletter or website some extra love. (Or hire someone else to while you read in the garden.) Email people you might want to partner with about cross-promotions. Send unexpected thank-you notes to your clients. This is the perfect time to do whatever “marketing” might feel easy and fun.

Inspired, as ever, by the Domestic Divas, I’ve whipped up a very quick, little guide to the moon phases so we entrepreneuses know what aspects of our businesses (and our bodies) should get what attention when.

Women are lit up by moonlight. The more of the moon you can see in the sky, the more creative, nurturing energy we have.

If you’d like to save a copy for yourself, click on the graphic, use your magnifying glass to make it a smidge bigger, then right-click and choose “save as”.

And if you’re not sure what phase of the moon we’re in, check out this excellent site, MoonConnection.com.

Last weekend’s super moon was awe-inspiring, wasn’t it? Up here in Toronto, she looked a little bigger than usual but so much brighter. Golden. Gorgeous. In the southern hemisphere, my friend, photographer, psychic and all-round wise woman Laurie Anne King, took this photo from near her home in Australia. Magical, huh? (If you like her work, you can see more of her photography right here.)

I’ve long been fascinated by the moon. Years ago, I started charting how my cycle shifted with her phases. Living in a city centre with our disruptive 24-hour lights, often women aren’t able to attune to the moon but I think because of my conscious awareness of it – as well as our heavy black-out curtains in the bedroom – my body could. Gradually, I learned what week in my cycle and what phase of the moon was best for socializing (and which was decidedly NOT). I figured out when to start projects and when to just let things be. Where, in past, I would have been hard on myself for procrastinating, I learned that a shift in my energy would come, so to enjoy the rest instead.

There are many excellent resources for learning about women and the moon. One of my first teachers was holistic reproductive health practitioner Amy Sedgwick of Red Tent Sisters. Then I met yoga goddess Zahra Haji who even developed her own amazing moon charting and yoga practice (which she teaches) called Moon Goddess. Both were inspired by the work of Miranda Gray. Most recently, I’ve fallen head over heels for fellow moon-lovers Sherry Rothwell and Adrian Percy of Domestic Diva. And what follows here is an interview with Sherry, as they even time their newsletters with the moon cycles! I’ve asked Sherry for her insight, especially, into using feminine energy management and moon cycles to nurture our businesses (since we gals are all entrepreneuses here).

It’s a good, long one, so you might want to pour yourself some chilled raspberry leaf tea and lemon and settle in for a good chat. (Sherry is so moon-smart!)

Q. Why is it important for modern women to be aware of moon phases?

A. It is more relevant than ever for women to be consciously aware of the moon’s phases because there are so many elements of modern living that take us out of sync with them. Never before have we had to play so many roles as women: wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, entrepreneur, CEO, maid, cook etc. We have a lot to do and a lot to be responsible for.

Modern women have more to do yet less support around our basic needs than ever. While I would personally love to live in community (like our ancestors) sharing the domestic work and having a built-in social life – for many of us that lifestyle feels out of reach or inaccessible within the blueprint of our industrialized society.

Q. So how can we maintain our energy and refuel when it feels like there isn’t enough time in the day to do it all?

A. Given all that we currently have on our plates as women and as entrepreneurs, we need greater awareness of our intrinsic feminine blueprint for energy management. By tapping consciously into the impact that the moon’s phases have on our energy fluctuations throughout the month, we can harness the power of the moon to create harmony in our lives and in our businesses.

In the days before electricity, we didn’t have to use our conscious awareness to be in harmony with the moon’s phases. The increasing and decreasing radiance of the moon would naturally call us into sync with the rising and falling energies of the month.

Unfortunately the very structure of modern life creates an artificial homogenization of our night and day, so that we act as if each day is simply the same as the one before. The world expects us to simply manage our time better when we feel out of sync.

However, the concept of time management does not fit with the unique biology of women. The way we perceive and work with time in industrialized societies does not serve the feminine (nor does it serve our communities and families).

Nature though, provides a perfect rhythm to manage our energy in a way that both calls us to slow down and to rise up in perfect harmony with the fluctuating levels of energy that we feel throughout the each month.

Each of the moon’s phases has a specific energy level and quality. As the light builds, so does our energy and as it recedes, our energy follows suit. We can fight it all we want, but the reality is there is no sense in resisting what is intrinsic to us. If we fight our femininity, we not only experience pain, but we also miss the great mysteries and gifts of being a woman.

On the other hand, when we plan our monthly tasks in sync with our own natural rhythms, not only are we more productive, but our lives naturally feel more harmonious. Visioning and rest are built into our feminine template (or patterning) because it is a necessity, not a luxury.

When we “push the river”, we struggle against the very nature of our femininity and the inherent blueprint we have for managing our energy, our life and our work.

In fact the more we resist the way we feel (when the body says no and the soul is uninspired) and we try to push ourselves to get things done in our business that are not in sync with where we are at in the cycle (or who we are) we end up more unproductive that ever – even if we never stop working!

We’ve all had that experience of trying to force ourselves to finish something (from the ego’s desire to get it done, rather than from a state of inspiration) and it ends up being a total waste of time or taking six times longer than it should!

When we “push the river”, we struggle against the very nature of our femininity and the inherent blueprint we have for managing our energy, our life and our work. If we follow our natural rhythms though – even if that means stopping – we are more productive overall (and healthier because we attend to both the body and soul’s need for rest and recuperation each month).

Our menstrual or bleeding time is a gift (of slowing down and clear vision) and our inspiration is a signpost that tells us – yes, in fact we are taking the right path or next step. Our intuition speaks through the language of the body and through our feelings about what is occurring in the moment; these are senses that serve a purpose and require our conscious attention.

Taking the time to reflect during our inherent times of increased vision during the new moon ensures that we take action in our business in ways that are in alignment with our values and our purpose. By taking the time slow down and evaluate what serves and what doesn’t, we actually make space for that which we are yet to manifest.

Q. What can we do to re-harmonize with the moon? And how can a woman tell if she’s out of sync?

A. The first step is simply becoming aware that the moon impacts our life rhythms, energy and productivity. We do this by taking notice of how our energy and mood fluctuates throughout the month.

Second, anything that attunes us to the natural forces can re-harmonize our bodies with nature’s cycles; for instance, going to bed with the sunset and arising with the sun, eating local food, sleeping in complete darkness during the naturally darkest times of the moon’s phases, taking moonlight walks at night, taking nature into our homes by eating food in the whole form that nature provides, walking barefoot on the earth…

The most telling sign that we are out of sync with the moon is that we bleed at times other than the new moon.

If you notice that the way your energy fluctuates is not in tune with the moon’s phases, that’s okay – just start where you are by tuning into your intuition and acting on tasks that resonate with your energy levels and your inspiration as they are right now.

Another way that we can tell that we are out of sync is when we feel burnt out, unsatisfied or when everything feels hard and there are obstacles at every turn. If you know without a doubt that you are on the right path and giving fully of your gifts in the world, yet your world consistently feels upside-down (or you have a breakdown approximately every 3-4 weeks and you want to throw it all out the window), then the next step is to sync with your natural rhythms so that you can go with the flow, rather than force your way through times of lower energy.

The construct of “time management” is just not reasonable for women due to the inherent physiological forces within our feminine physiology. We bleed, give birth and we are compelled to nurture others – none of these intrinsically feminine forces can be scheduled, nor can they be forced, managed or suppressed if we want to embrace who we are fully.

Childbirth, for example, is the perfect metaphor. Labours that are inhibited or managed by the external will of a caregiver or forced to proceed faster with induction drugs most often result in complications, failure to progress or a complete cessation of labour. Very similarly, if we ignore, suppress or force ourselves to act outside of our true nature, our business will be full of complications, progress very little or we will feel stifled and unable to give birth to the highest expression of ourselves or the true vision and mission of our business.

The alternative to time management for women is managing our energy. Attuning ourselves with the building and receding energies of the moon is one of the many ways that we can manage our energy.

Q. For business, what tasks are best done during which moon phases?

New Moon

This is the time of the month that we are naturally encouraged to become more introspective and introverted. Our energy is at its lowest, making now the best time to rest and rejuvenate. It is the perfect time to vision, set intentions and nurture our creative side. It is also the perfect time to just be with and make sacred space for deep conversation with the women in your life (masterminding).

Waxing Moon

During the waxing moon, our energies are starting to rise again, making the time ripe to start preparing the soil so it’s fertile for upcoming projects (restructuring, foundational work, putting structures and systems in place to support what we will be doing next). Now is the time to get out there and start planting seeds (ideas and new projects) and to communicate (meetings and planning).

Full Moon

The full moon is when our energy is at its peak. Now is the best time to push hard to accomplish that which we envisioned during the new moon. Give yourself permission to work hard and play hard (big project undertakings and development here). If you want to stay up until the wee hours of the morning and ride on the momentum, give yourself permission to flow with it, if you feel so inspired!

Waning Moon

This is the time when our energy begins to recede. It is time to start wrapping things up and finishing tasks that have been weighing on you (ie: invoicing, clearing or reorganizing clutter) so that your life, your home and your business feels spacious. This time of clearing is essential to make space for your new moon visions. You will be more easily able to slow down, relax and rejuvenate during the new moon because those annoying unfinished tasks will no longer be taking up space in your mind.

If you’d like a handy reference guide for the moon phases, click here.

Sherry Rothwell is the co founder of DomesticDiva.ca where she helps women reclaim domestic arts and traditional wisdom. Sherry is a holistic nutritionist, mother of two and mompreneur who embraces being a woman. Sherry loves sharing feminine mysteries and teaching healing arts through live events, teleseminars, e-courses and private coaching programs.

Want to be reminded as we transition in and out of each of the moon’s cycles?Sign up for the Domestic Diva newsletter so that we can send you a weekly notification by e-mail in service to helping you manage your energy and get in tune with your natural rhythms. www.DomesticDiva.ca

When I worked a corporate job, I rarely looked at my pay stub to see the taxes being deducted. Up here in beautiful Canada, it’s a big chunk so I was content to focus on what was actually making its way into my account. Let the government (and my fellow citizens) have what is the government’s.

When I became self-employed, however, things changed. There was no longer a payroll person doing the math for me every two weeks, which meant I had to figure it out. I’m not really one for reports and tracking so for the first years in business, I just winged it. I guessed at what I might owe in sales and income taxes and hoped that I had enough in my account. And while my guesses did end up being close, having to guess brought with it a vague and constant feeling of dread. The unknown tax bill hung like a cartoon safe over my head. Will I be able to pay it?

There’s so much more peace in knowing.

So last year, I implemented a new system for tracking revenue and taxes I would eventually owe. It was a binder system and while it was quite a clever thing in theory, I still let the receipts pile up all over the place until the end of the year instead of slipping them into the binder envelopes I’d made. For me, if a process is going to stick, it has to be SO easy. And I think that’s what I’ve got heading into 2012.

Money management in 40 minutes (or fewer)

I bought an accordion folder (with high recycled content, of course) and named each section based on what I need to report to my accountant come next spring. I leave it open where I barely need to stretch from my seat to drop something in. Simple, simple. But that doesn’t mean every time I have a receipt I drop it in. Nope. I let them pile up in my pockets, purses and wallet. The printer tray is another great spot. And that’s okay. It’s part of my process. I let them build up and then, on the last day of the month, I sort them.

I don’t total any of those. I might do that quarterly or at the end of the year. I should do it monthly (and, smarter, should hire a bookkeeper to help) but, for now, my profit and loss statements are simple enough that I feel comfortable being inexact and intuitive. Because I don’t like the stress of surprises, I do approximate what I will owe in sales and income taxes.

To figure out a rough number to set aside for taxes owed, I run two quick reports. I use Blinksale for Pink Elephant Creative invoicing so I can easily see what invoices were closed in a month and what amount of sales tax was collected. (We have to charge the harmonized sales tax – HST – to fellow Canadians who hire Pink Elephant, and at different rates depending on which province they call home. We don’t charge tax for clients outside of Canada.) The second report I run is through e-Junkie because it tracks sales for Creative’s sister business (this one), Pink Elephant Academy for Entrepreneurs. I add up the amount of sales tax from each report and then I move that amount from Pink Elephant’s chequing account into a business savings account. If I were really on the ball, I’d subtract the total I’ve spent in HST for that month’s business expenses before moving that amount over – since the government requires us to pay what we bring in minus what we pay out – but, as discussed, I’m being casual – I save the exact HST math and return for year-end. This way I have more in the account than I will need. And I like the way that feels.

The next bit of math I do is to total the revenue (excluding any sales tax collected) from both of the reports and I figure out what 20% of that total is; then I move that into the savings account. That is the money I’ll use to pay my income tax bill next spring. My tax rate at the end of the year likely won’t be 20% (it will be higher) and doing the math this way doesn’t take into account my business expenses – which will eventually be subtracted from my revenue to show true income – but I’ve found, for my business, that setting aside 20% of monthly revenue ensures there’s enough in the pot at the end of the year to comfortably write that tax cheque. If there’s extra left over, then that’s a trip to the spa (or somewhere more exotic!). You can figure out your own estimate by looking at last year’s tax bill and figuring out what percentage of last year’s revenue it worked out to be. Make sense?

40 minutes each month is all I need. Finding all the receipts and sorting them into my accordion file took exactly 13 minutes this afternoon. To run the two reports, transfer them to Excel so I could save them in a folder on my computer and then add up the totals took 25 minutes. It’ll be quicker next month now that I have a proper process in place. To sign into my banking account and move the funds around took an additional two minutes. If you’re adding, that’s 40 minutes. And now I don’t have to worry about taxes!

In going through my receipts, prepping for 2011 tax filing, I smiled to see one invoice in particular. It was the first one from Jess, my cherished assistant. When I hired Jess, I didn’t have excess cash in the budget to bring her on. I hadn’t “made enough yet” to do it. But I was also certain that if I didn’t get support that Pink Elephant could never grow. I’d keep doing the same things, feeling the same buriedness and overwhelm, keeping my head just above water… until I couldn’t anymore. Hiring Jess was one of the best business decisions I have ever made. She’s like the innertube that lets me float downstream, in the flow, supported, buoyant, eased. And happy. (She deserves a much better visual than an innertube but you get what I’m saying, right?)

When I speak with clients and other entrepreneurs who are feeling that same these-tasks-aren’t-what-I-started-my-own-business-to-do overwhelm, I am quick to recommend an assistant. “Even if you think you can’t afford it!” Because when you are freed up from e-mail management and appointment scheduling and blog formatting – or whatever you would enjoy having help with – you become so much more productive. You increase the number of revenue-generating hours available in your calendar. You have more time to write that blog you’ve been thinking about or to create that new teleseminar that you know will help so many people. The investment in the right support will be returned many, many times over. And you might just become more fun to live with.

The catch is finding an assistant who fits as well as Jess (and Nita, our newest addition!).

How I found Jess and Nita

1. I asked around.

I posted on Twitter, asking if anyone had a virtual assistant they would love to recommend. Right away, I heard from a few VAs directly and I heard from some fellow entrepreneurs I admire and respect.

Start your search with recommendations from people like you.

2. I reviewed their websites.

I was nervous about handing over the general inbox, which would be the primary responsibility of whoever came on board. It is so important to me that anyone who reaches out to Pink Elephant should feel very cared for which made it absolutely necessary to find a Welcome Ambassador who was in equal measure kind and compassionate, smart and articulate. A tall order! She (or he) had to feel the same appreciation and fondness for the people writing to me that I do.

Some of the VA websites focused on productivity and efficiency. Some were very matter of fact. Some emphasized low rates. Some described their services in ways that didn’t take into account any of my own concerns. I knew that that writing style and manner wasn’t what I wanted. Jess, though, had a beautifully written website – as beautiful as it was compassionate. She understood how important trust would be in our work. She emphasized the need for self-care, especially when you’re an entrepreneur – and saw that as her contribution to businesses. She mentioned efficiency too, but it was that she was able to relate to me – as only a reader – in such an emotional way that told me she’d be ideal for understanding the concerns of my clients. Before we even met, I knew she was it. (And did I mention she’s also a doula? LOVE.)

Before you scout VA websites, get clear about what you need and find someone who loves doing exactly that. There are VAs who specialize in website updates, social media, email management and client relationships, teleconference support and on and on.

3. Use your intuition.

For those of you who like the Myers-Briggs types, I’m an INFJ who leads with the N, representing intuition. I will often ignore facts (they’re so quaint!) in favour of my gut. It’s not a better way of doing things but I’ve learned how to use it to my advantage. From Jess’ first email to me, I knew. Like, I KNEW.

Whether you normally rely on intuition or not, when it comes to taking on new clients or finding someone new to work with, I always recommend getting quiet with yourself and seeing how your body feels. Sometimes the most perfect-seeming situation will feel off. For me, every time I’ve talked myself out of that “off” feeling, I’ve wished I hadn’t.

4. Check references.

As much as I trust my intuition, I recommend a complementary strategy. Sometimes my fear (especially the “you should” variety) can masquerade as intuition so I check with alternate sources as part of my choosing process. Information is good.

In the case of Jess, Allie the artist recommended her to me. That, alone, spoke volumes because Allie knows what working with me is like, what my personal style is… if she thought Jess would be a match, I trusted that. Allie also has impeccable taste in all things so I knew Jess’ work would be exquisite. And it is. Jess is currently on maternity leave so as we prepared for her temporary departure, she recommended someone she thought could step in and, given how intimately she understands my hopes and expectations, that meant a lot. As with Jess, my first conversation with Nita just felt so right. (And guess what else? She trains seeing eye dogs! I am wildly blessed that Pink Elephant gets to know people with that much kindness.)

It’s not enough to read the reviews on a website. If you don’t have recommendations you can trust implicitly, that’s okay. Ask your prospective assistant for the contact information of two or three of her clients. Ask those clients about their experience. You might consider questions like:

What does your assistant love doing for you best?

If I were to hire her, what advice would you have for me? Under what circumstances do things go most smoothly?

Are there certain types of tasks you wouldn’t give her?

What specific support does she provide and how many hours a week/month does that require?

This is an approach that could work for anyone you need to hire: research (clarifying what’s out there and what you really need) + gut-check + references = finding someone wonderful. (It could probably work for your love life too!)